But I only make it a couple of steps before Kaenon falls into step beside me, slipping his hand into mine and kissing my exposed birthmark. His warm brown eyes take me in as we pass a few other legacies, a couple of which definitely notice me and start whispering.
"Yellow is stunning on you," Kaenon murmurs.
He's dressed in dark pants and a yellow shirt, since I wanted us all to blend in. His long, dark hair is pulled back from his face once more, showing off his striking face and thosefantasticcheekbones. And I know I'm not the only one who thinks he'sgorgeous, because a few legacy women openly check him out as we finally walk into the big ballroom where everyone is.
Even though I've tried to avoid all things legacy-ish for years, I've heard plenty about Everbound. It used to be the government-mandated finishing school for legacies to train to fight at the Divide. Not coming here to find your quintet, break your curse, and graduate to fight fiends usually resulted in not getting legal legacy documentation, which meant being hunted down and severely punished or worse.
I used to be terrified of this giant, gothic castle and the university housed inside it. Now, standing here now in this grand, brightly-lit old ballroom decorated with all the colors of the Four Houses is just…surreal.
"Holy fuck, this place isso cool,"Jessica breathes beside me, taking it in just like I am.
Someone is using magic to make a little orchestra play quiet, tasteful music in the corner of the ballroom. Crowds of well-dressed legacies mingle, eating hors d'oeuvres and drinking punch and champagne. The many legacies here are all dressed in yellow, red, green, or shades of bluish silver, showing which House they're in as they chatter with each other, clearly excited for the first Seeking in so long. A stage has been constructed at the end of this vaulted room—the place where legacies will go if they light up from the holy magic of whatever priest or priestess is helping the gods reveal matches today.
It feels overwhelming just to walk in here.
But it gets so much more overwhelming in the worst way possible when people start noticing me.
And thanks to my shifter ears, even though they're not being obvious, they still kind of are.
"It's Skidmark," someone whispers.
"Holy shit! I thought the rumors were stupid, but she's actually here."
"Whoa, check her out. Wouldn't mind getting matched to all that."
"Seriously, she looksnothinglike her brother—and what the fuck is on her face?"
It's that last whisper that has me frozen in place.
I can't do this. This was a terrible idea. Even worse than my going-out-on-a-date-finally idea. I should just run now and?—
Asher steps out of the crowd, Ian on his left and Zak on his right. They're like three gorgeous saviors, all dressed in their House colors and sexy as sin. They move to me quickly, and while Zak is clearly trying to distract me by offering me an antipasto skewer, I don't miss the death glares Asher and Ian have turned on anyone they catch staring.
As soon as they're around me, I feel like I can breathe again.
That's right. Icando this. So what if some people say stupid things? As much as it may trigger me when people comment on my appearance, that's not something I have time to linger on right now. In fact, the whole point of my being here is to draw attention in the first place, to get Veld here.
Accepting the skewer from Zak with a smile, I look past my boyfriends and spot the Amato quintet talking to Brigid Decimus and one of her quintet members near the stage. I think Maven must've known I was coming to the Seeking, because she glances in our direction without much of a reaction—but when Everett notices where so many legacies are looking, his eyes widen on me.
I give him a little wave with the antipasto skewer and a thumbs-up.
He starts making his way through the crowd toward us. I don't know if it's his reputation or the scar, but something about my brother is scary enough that people part out of his way immediately, practically scrambling.
"I'm going to find Athanis and let him know we're your scouts," Jessica tells me, drifting off.
Ian is apparently done glaring at anyone who looks at me wrong, because he holds up one of the two glasses of champagne he's holding, offering it to me.
"I'm good, but thanks," I tell him, smiling up at my thrall.
I should really not be drinking right now. I'm kind of a lightweight in general, and I want to stay alert for any signs of Veld.
To my surprise, Ian nods and downs both glasses of champagne like they're shots. He sets the empty flutes on a nearby table covered with a tablecloth embroidered with Everbound University's crest, the four House colors with a golden heart in their center.
"Gods, that didn't help. Why the fuck does anyone drink champagne anyway?" Ian scowls, his gaze slipping to my neck.
Oh. He'sthirsty,thirsty.
Before I can awkwardly offer for him to tap a vein, Everett finally reaches us. He glances at Asher with something like begrudging respect before he smiles at me, showing off the one dimple left in his unscarred cheek.
